172 Pounds of Guns Found in the West End
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I recently stumbled upon one of the better uses for guns: manhole covers. You can read all about this project from the mid-90s here and here.
Category: Activism
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Saturday in Bushnell Park
By Kerri Provost, June 5, 2010 3:14 pm
Between the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure, PRIDE, and who knows what else going on, Bushnell Park was buzzing this morning and afternoon.
City to Denounce Arizona?
By Kerri Provost, May 7, 2010 2:44 pm
Luis Cotto, the Minority Leader of Hartford’s City Council (Court of the Common Council) is introducing a resolution that calls for “denouncing SB 1070 and [...] a boycott of discretionary City travel to Arizona and business with Arizona-based companies.” Arizona State Senate Bill 1070 enables racial profiling and restricts the freedom of Americans to travel within the nation’s borders without being treated as guilty until proven innocent via the procurement of documents that normal Americans keep in safe deposit boxes, rather than in their wallets. This resolution, which Cotto says would ” exert pressure [on the Arizona government] by taking our business elsewhere,” is to come before the City Council on Monday, May 10th.
Pro-Immigration March
By Kerri Provost, May 1, 2010 7:47 pm
Today, supporters of immigrants’ rights marched through Hartford.
What It Means to Boycott Connecticut
By Kerri Provost, December 17, 2009 5:25 pm
Yo Michael Moore,
Ima let you finish, but boycotting Connecticut is cold. It’s also about as counterproductive and impossible as the ill-conceived boycotts of Israel. Maybe you mean that you’re just going to not visit Connecticut, but if you are going to really boycott, then you’d better be prepared for all that this entails. Here’s a preview:
This means you can not purchase anything from Aetna, Anthem, CIGNA, UnitedHealth, Phoenix, The Hartford, or St. Paul Travelers. No ING either.
Do not visit or give any money to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center – ill children in Connecticut would benefit, and we know that they had a lot to do with Lieberman getting elected and reelected. They should suffer so that you can make your point.
ESPN is a major employer in Connecticut, so make sure you do not watch that station. If you were planning to drop by Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods, drop them from your itinerary. You can also remove Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, and Mystic Pizza from your list of places to go. The Nathan Hale Homestead? Forget it. Want to see where Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Noah Webster lived? Nevermind. No Essex Steam Train, Goodspeed Opera House, Bushnell, Gillette Castle, Real Art Ways, Wolfpack games, TheaterWorks, Wadsworth Atheneum, Yale Center for British Art, IKEA (they employ residents), Beardsley Zoo, or Hill-Stead Museum. No CT Science Center. No Dinosaur State Park or Yale Peabody Museum.
Forget about stopping off at Lyman Orchards, or any of the other orchards in Connecticut. No lunch at Shady Glen or Louis’ Lunch. No Newman’s Own products.
You may not go watch a movie at the Mansfield Drive-in. While you’re being hardcore about this, refrain from purchasing movie tickets or dvds of films with Connecticut residents — past or present — starring, producing, or involved in any way. No more Katharine Hepburn and Paul Newman films. Prisoners and The Witches of Oz are currently being filmed in CT. You will not get to see those. Since this is retroactive, if any of these films are on your to-see list, just forget they were made.
Skip the Barnum Museum, XL Center, Lake Compounce, and Quassy Amusement Park. I hope you didn’t want to see the two-headed cow on display at the Old State House. That’s off limits too!
Don’t donate any money to the CT Humane Society. Sweet puppies and kitties should definitely suffer because of Lieberman.
No Book Barn or Atticus.
I hope you are not a fan of Wiffle Ball or Frisbee, because those are on the “no” list. Anesthesia was first used in my state, so if you have to undergo a serious medical procedure, you’ll have to be brave and wide awake for it. Also invented in Connecticut? Sewing machine, can opener, and hamburger. I sense you’ll have difficulty boycotting all three of those items. Do you like to vacuum your house? Sorry. Broom and dustpan from now on. Like color television? That’s also a Connecticut first.
Do not speak at or give any money to a single college or university in the state, no matter how much the students might benefit from your sage advice. Do not go to any UConn games either.
I’m sorry. Am I giving you a headache? Depressing you? Don’t try to treat your aches with anything from Pfizer.
You will have to bypass Bradley International Airport, even if you’re heading to Massachusetts. If choosing air travel, ensure you are not going to fly in a jet that uses parts made at Pratt & Whitney. Also, no rides in helicopters, as the first one was invented in Connecticut.
I’m happy for you, Mr. Moore, because you’ve made a successful career out of activism and entertainment; but to hold an entire state’s population responsible for one man is bogus. Lieberman lost in the last primary and has fallen out of favor with many who originally voted for him. Local religious figures have spoken against his stance on health care. Maybe you did not know this, but Connecticut does not have the ability to recall politicians. Of course, since government is a human construction, humans can change it, but to suggest that Connecticut residents are responsible for removing a man when we have no current power to do so, well, I think that assumes we all have as much time on our hands as you do. Many of us, like myself, work more than one job and still do not have health care. I have never voted for Lieberman. Your tactic to push for health care has the potential to harm exactly those who need it. We need health care, but we also need our jobs! We have mortgages and rent to pay. We have groceries to buy. Lieberman is a problem, yes, but solving that problem should not involve harming thousands of Connecticut residents.
Sidewalk Scenes: Installment Six
By Kerri Provost, August 28, 2009 9:44 am
This sign was found on a few sidewalks near the CCAG office. On September 2nd there will be a health care reform rally at John Larson’s office (221 Main Street), followed by a march to Senator Dodd’s office. outside the West Hartford Town Hall. This begins at 4:30pm and should last roughly two hours.
Whose Guardians?
By Kerri Provost, July 21, 2009 9:12 am
It’s been reported that the Guardian Angels had been contacted after a series of murders; on Sunday, a group of the Guardian Angels walked the Garden Street area. This “patrol” was designed to assess the situation. The Hartford Courant reports that Guardian Angels will begin weekly patrols, and that the group’s founder wants there to be a Hartford chapter; an earlier attempt to do just that failed in the 80s. For those who do not remember, there was controversy about the group then. Recent news about the GA’s visit to Hartford reference controversy, without really spelling out what the issues are.
According to their own website, they have won presidential praise, are global, and are a way for people to do community service.
In the recent Courant article, someone questioning the group was described as a thug:
“That’s for show,” said one bystander, a young man with a mouthful of gold-capped teeth and dressed in a matching yellow shirt that read “Born Killers.” “They can’t stop nothing. We’re out there every day. When they leave, there’s gonna be a shooting.” The man would not give his name.
His comments — which might have been construed differently had he been described as an elderly man or a shop owner — only echo a critique of the Guardian Angels that has been made elsewhere. In a discussion about the GA’s presence in New Bedford, one person commented:
They came to Brockton, and are hardly seen… ** ONLY ** when a news camera is around, they come out!
How to Respond When the Gay Pride Flag is Removed from City Hall
By Kerri Provost, June 29, 2009 10:52 am
Thanks to punkpink is a bandits tip and Queers Without Borders for sharing this video clip. “How to Tell People They Sound Racist” is the basic formula one can follow for telling someone s/he sounds sexist or heterosexist or whatever. For more about how and why the rainbow flag at City Hall was removed before its time, check out the previous blog links.
D.I.Y. Debris Removal
By Kerri Provost, April 22, 2009 9:43 pm
Last Saturday, Trinity students and community volunteers removed trash from the Flatbush Avenue/Brookfield Street area. To give you an idea of how neglected this area was, there were 8-tracks and pull-tab soda cans found, along with a purse containing an ID that expired in 2001.
If you missed the chance to help beautify Hartford, you have three more upcoming opportunities on April 25th, May 2nd, and May 9th. For more details contact the Knox Parks Foundation.
Homophobia Hurts the Wallet
By Kerri Provost, March 17, 2009 7:35 am
The “We’re Super Catholic and should not have to provide flower arrangements for The Homosexuals” thing amuses me. Yes, friends, there are times when hate and discrimination are hysterical.
The economy is so strong that people can choose to not take money from those they do not approve of? Really?
Mark this occasion as the one time I ask for capitalism to be allowed to run its course without government intervention.
